New Project Grants

The MSRG has decided to offer two new grants over the next few months, dedicated to specific projects. Conscious of the fact that the Group does not have the resources to mount major programmes of work alone, MSRG has decided to offer seed-corn grants for research on two particular themes that might then be picked up by academics who could apply for large research grants from the major grant-giving bodies.

1) Medieval Field Systems with the Emphasis particularly on Ridge and Furrow

Analysis of medieval field systems and in particular ridge and furrow within the broader frame of extant historic agrarian landscapes, the study to include the continued formation of cultivation ridging into the modern era. The resource provided by the surviving ridge and furrow, records of its former extent from aerial photographs, together with early maps, has not been exploited fully by archaeologists, geographers and historians. These material survivals, using modern methods of analysis, have the capacity to throw light on a number of important research topics about the origins of medieval field systems, their subsequent development, their management and technology, and eventual fall into disuse. Ridge and furrow could also be used to investigate the development of settlements, the overall patterns of land use, and the balance between common and individual rights over land. A grant of £4000 could be available, in consultation with the MSRG, for a researcher to carry out a pilot project on one or more of these aspects, with the intention of subsequently applying for a grant for a full-scale project to a body such as the AHRC.

2) The Relationship of Settlement to Commons, Greens and Waste

Analysis of settlement relationships to commons, greens and waste throughout the medieval period and extending into the post-medieval centuries, will be initiated through a pilot study of selected areas, and will be undertaken by an academic who would be able to take it forward subsequently as a major grant application. The level of grant aid for this themed study in the first year will not exceed £4000.

For more detailed information, please see the attached short explanatory papers produced by Chris Dyer and Bob Silvester, which were published in Medieval Settlement Research, 31 (2016), pp. 74-5. Either of them can be consulted in advance of submissions via email cd50@le.ac.uk or r.silvester@chester.ac.uk. See link at the top of the page.

The approach to the thematic research themes proposed above could be entirely archaeological, or have an interdisciplinary character bringing into contact archaeologists, environmental scientists, historians or linguists, or all of these. As should be evident from what is written above, the MSRG has no specific agenda, and the Group is not issuing detailed briefs or prescribing the content of the research, rather they are anticipating that an applicant will develop an attractive research proposal.

The deadline for applications has now been extended to 1st October 2017.

Application Details

Applicants should apply by letter (4 copies) summarising the proposed research and the costs involved. The names of two referees should be included. Applications should be addressed to:

Dr Susan Kilby
Centre for English Local History
University of Leicester
5 Salisbury Road
Leicester
LE1 7QR